Jump to content

Tips for fox shooting


goldypurple
 Share

Recommended Posts

What tips have you guys got for fox shooting?

 

What time of day or night? Dusk or dawn? Middle of the night?

 

What calls are most successfull? How often should you call? How loud etc?

 

How often should you lamp the area your in? Ie waving lamp about the ground where your sat

 

Any tips on picking fox up in the dark quick? Movement to look for, eye colours etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Firstly, I only shoot foxes for a reason, not because they are there, but if they need controlling, get up early, get to your shooting position in the dark, (high seats are great), wait for it to get full daylight and then give it another hour.

 

Works for me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What tips have you guys got for fox shooting?

 

What time of day or night? Dusk or dawn? Middle of the night?

 

What calls are most successfull? How often should you call? How loud etc?

 

How often should you lamp the area your in? Ie waving lamp about the ground where your sat

 

Any tips on picking fox up in the dark quick? Movement to look for, eye colours etc

what you need is a book or a few trips out with an old hand at it. It is not a sport imo though that does not mean i don't enjoy doing a bit, my foxing is all done for a reason, you cant eat them the skin is now worthless and they do little harm once the young birds are fully fledged and lambs all well grown. There are exceptions in locations and circumstances but from 20th Feb to June / July.

I use mouth calling and blown calls most of which are handmade but sometimes no call is best. Baits work if they are coming regular to them. Knowing were they live and looking constantly for sign and smell helps keep on track of things. Don't miss them on the lamp and don't try and burn their eyes out

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get a dimmer for whatever lamp you use, once you pick up the eye shine or spot the foxy shape use just enough light to positively I.d the fox through the scope. They're more likely to hang around if your not trying to set fire to them with 2 million candle power! Know your ground well, travel routes etc and don't be in a hurry to shoot when you got it in the scope, better to leave it than risk frightening it or wounding with a wayward rushed shot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Get a dimmer for whatever lamp you use, once you pick up the eye shine or spot the foxy shape use just enough light to positively I.d the fox through the scope. They're more likely to hang around if your not trying to set fire to them with 2 million candle power! Know your ground well, travel routes etc and don't be in a hurry to shoot when you got it in the scope, better to leave it than risk frightening it or wounding with a wayward rushed shot.

+1 :good:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I shoot most an hour before to an hour after dusk, I'm even going off calling much at all at the moment. High seats and nv seem to be doing the job for me, but come harvest we will be lamping hard as you can mop most of the cubs up fairly quickly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys some points noted, farmer is having problems with lambs being taken now this could be fox badger or ferrel cats, but I've been asked to take a look.

 

So what colour are fox eyes in different colour lamps, I know you can't go by just eyes I'm not that stupid, you have to poss Id as I don't want no accidents as my ticket is at risk, but would be handy to know. When something catches my attention

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen foxes with green eyes, orange eyes, yellow and all sorts in between, seen some with one eye and one who's eyes didn't reflect at all! Very weird that one. Through experience you will learn to pick out a fox eyes by the way they act and move, they can be very similar to a cat! Things i see regularly with a lamp include cats, polecats, badgers and domestic dogs, sometimes on a lead, amazing where and when people will walk their dogs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use an adequate calibre, 22 Hornet should be considered the bare minmum.

 

Ian.

Not necessarily... members on here (such as Camokid) have proven that given the right situation and being an adequate shot at least, that a rimfire can be used to a good effect on a fox.

 

There are some video's on here that show HMR's putting fox's down instantly too. It's just about keeping ranges sensible and shot placement decent. You can muck it up with a larger calibre too...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not necessarily... members on here (such as Camokid) have proven that given the right situation and being an adequate shot at least, that a rimfire can be used to a good effect on a fox.

 

There are some video's on here that show HMR's putting fox's down instantly too. It's just about keeping ranges sensible and shot placement decent. You can muck it up with a larger calibre too...

 

 

I think the point is its a lot easier to make a mess of the job with a rifle built to kill quarry the size of rabbits, I bet if you look back 100 years more UK foxes have been shot with .22 lr than .223 rem say, it don't mean the former is well suited to the task. Personally I think a 12 ga with a good load is far more useful than a RF for foxing once you get away from gardens and allotments etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rather than the Colour of the eyes you should be able to tell what it is more by the way it's acting , a fox has a very distinctive Bounce whilst walking , but as you most probably already know you should never shoot at eyes unless your a 110% certain it's a fox or the quarry your after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why are people even talking about eyes you need the full outline, period end of story no questions. My neighbour has a full tailed Border terrier bitch that often roams, its hard to tell it from a fox in the daylight. The amount of times I have been 90% sure of something and it eventually took the 10% slot is incredible. Not only do you need that 100% you need to see the backdrop is clear and the backstop adequate. If in the slightest doubt don't raise the gun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...